Here’s hoping nonprofit’s effort pays off

Companies and organizations named after random nouns or verbs seemingly unrelated to their missions: Apple, Target, Sprint, etc.

Federal government grants to encourage business development when the federal government is bleeding red ink and when businesses routinely complain that one of the chief barriers to business development is, well, the federal government — more specifically, its penchant for taxing and regulation.

Put the two together and my head spins.

So I’m a little dizzy after delving into MadREP’s Advance Now.

MadREP is a nonprofit organization based in Madison that tries to encourage economic growth in eight counties by providing information about local taxes, developable land, loans and grants, and other things that help new and growing businesses. It is also something of a cheerleader for all the things that make the greater Madison region an awesome place to live and work.

Jennifer Post Tyler, MadREP interim executive vice president, said the group’s name is the response to a question posed by the people who created it — namely: What is the goal of economic development? (For communities and people to thrive.)

Advance Now is MadREP’s effort to come up with a grand economic development plan. Its name is meant to emphasize what it says is Madison’s faltering position among similar regions when it comes to things such as quality of life and personal income.”